A computer network is a group

of interconnected computers. Networks may be classified

according to a wide variety of characteristics. This article
provides a general overview of some types and categories
and also presents the basic components of a network.
Contents
[hide]

1 Introduction
2 Network classification
o

2.1 Connection method

2.2 Scale

2.3 Functional relationship (network architecture)

2.4 Network topology

3 Types of networks

3.1 Personal area network

3.2 Local area network

3.3 Campus area network

3.4 Metropolitan area network

3.5 Wide area network

3.6 Global area network

3.7 Virtual private network

3.8 Internetwork

3.8.1 Intranet

3.8.2 Extranet

3.8.3 Internet
4 Basic hardware components

4.1 Network interface cards

4.2 Repeaters

4.3 Hubs

4.4 Bridges

4.5 Switches

4.6 Routers
5 See also

6 References
7 External links

[edit]Introduction
A computer network is a collection of computers and
devices connected to each other. The network allows
computers to communicate with each other and share
resources and information. The Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA) designed "Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network" (ARPANET) for the United States
Department of Defense. It was the first computer network
in the world in late 1960s and early 1970s.[1]
[edit]Network

classification

The following list presents categories used for classifying

networks.
[edit]Connection

method

Computer networks can also be classified according to the

hardware and software technology that is used to
interconnect the individual devices in the network, such
as Optical fiber,Ethernet, Wireless LAN, HomePNA, Power
line communication or G.hn.
Ethernet uses physical wiring to connect devices.
Frequently deployed devices include hubs, switches,
bridges and/or routers.
Wireless LAN technology is designed to connect devices
without wiring. These devices use radio
waves or infrared signals as a transmission medium.
ITU-T G.hn technology uses existing home wiring (coaxial
cable, phone lines and power lines) to create a high-speed
(up to 1 Gigabit/s) local area network.

[edit]Scale
Networks are often classified as Local Area Network (LAN),
Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area
Network (MAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), Virtual
Private Network (VPN), Campus Area Network (CAN),
Storage Area Network (SAN), etc. depending on their scale,
scope and purpose. Usage, trust levels and access rights
often differ between these types of network - for example,
LANs tend to be designed for internal use by an
organization's internal systems and employees in
individual physical locations (such as a building), while
WANs may connect physically separate parts of an
organization to each other and may include connections to
third parties.
[edit]Functional

relationship (network
architecture)

Computer networks may be classified according to the

functional relationships which exist among the elements of
the network, e.g., Active Networking, Clientserver and Peer-to-peer(workgroup) architecture.
[edit]Network topology
Main article: Network topology
Computer networks may be classified according to
the network topology upon which the network is based,
such as bus network, star network, ring network, mesh
network, star-bus network, tree or hierarchical topology
network. Network topology signifies the way in which
devices in the network see their logical relations to one
another. The use of the term "logical" here is significant.
That is, network topology is independent of the "physical"
layout of the network. Even if networked computers are
physically placed in a linear arrangement, if they are
connected via a hub, the network has a Star topology,

rather than a bus topology. In this regard the visual and

operational characteristics of a network are distinct; the
logical network topology is not necessarily the same as the
physical layout. Networks may be classified based on the
method of data used to convey the data, these include
digital and analog networks.
[edit]Types

of networks

Below is a list of the most common types of computer

networks in order of scale.
[edit]Personal area network
Main article: Personal area network
A personal area network (PAN) is a computer network
used for communication among computer devices close to
one person. Some examples of devices that are used in a
PAN are printers, fax machines, telephones, PDAs and
scanners. The reach of a PAN is typically about 20-30 feet
(approximately 6-9 meters), but this is expected to
increase with technology improvements.
[edit]Local area network
Main article: Local area network
A local area network (LAN) is a computer network
covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small
group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport. Current
wired LANs are most likely to be based
on Ethernet technology, although new standards like ITUT G.hn also provide a way to create a wired LAN using
existing home wires (coaxial cables, phone lines and
power lines)[2].
For example, a library may have a wired or wireless LAN
for users to interconnect local devices (e.g., printers and
servers) and to connect to the internet. On a wired LAN,
PCs in the library are typically connected by category 5

(Cat5) cable, running the IEEE 802.3 protocol through a

system of interconnected devices and eventually connect
to the Internet. The cables to the servers are typically on
Cat 5e enhanced cable, which will support IEEE 802.3 at 1
Gbit/s. A wireless LAN may exist using a different IEEE
protocol, 802.11b, 802.11g or possibly 802.11n. The staff
computers (bright green in the figure) can get to the color
printer, checkout records, and the academic
network and the Internet. All user computers can get to
the Internet and the card catalog. Each workgroup can get
to its local printer. Note that the printers are not accessible
from outside their workgroup.

Typical library network, in a branching tree topology and

controlled access to resources

All interconnected devices must understand the network

layer (layer 3), because they are handling multiple subnets
(the different colors). Those inside the library, which have
only 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet connections to the user device
and a Gigabit Ethernet connection to the central router,
could be called "layer 3 switches" because they only have
Ethernet interfaces and must understand IP. It would be
more correct to call them access routers, where the router
at the top is a distribution router that connects to the
Internet and academic networks' customer access routers.
The defining characteristics of LANs, in contrast to WANs
(wide area networks), include their higher data transfer
rates, smaller geographic range, and lack of a need for

leased telecommunication lines. Current Ethernet or

other IEEE 802.3 LAN technologies operate at speeds up to
10 Gbit/s. This is the data transfer rate. IEEE has projects
investigating the standardization of 100 Gbit/s, and
possibly 400 Gbit/s.
[edit]Campus area network
Main article: Campus area network
A campus area network (CAN) is a computer network
made up of an interconnection of local area networks
(LANs) within a limited geographical area. It can be
considered one form of a metropolitan area network,
specific to an academic setting.
In the case of a university campus-based campus area
network, the network is likely to link a variety of campus
buildings including; academic departments, the university
library and student residence halls. A campus area
network is larger than a local area network but smaller
than a wide area network (WAN) (in some cases).
The main aim of a campus area network is to facilitate
students accessing internet and university resources. This
is a network that connects two or more LANs but that is
limited to a specific and contiguous geographical area
such as a college campus, industrial complex, office
building, or a military base. A CAN may be considered a
type of MAN (metropolitan area network), but is generally
limited to a smaller area than a typical MAN. This term is
most often used to discuss the implementation of
networks for a contiguous area. This should not be
confused with a Controller Area Network. A LAN connects
network devices over a relatively short distance. A
networked office building, school, or home usually contains
a single LAN, though sometimes one building will contain a
few small LANs (perhaps one per room), and occasionally a
LAN will span a group of nearby buildings.

In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not always

implemented as a single IP subnet.
[edit]Metropolitan area network
Main article: Metropolitan area network
A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a network that
connects two or more local area networks or campus area
networks together but does not extend beyond the
boundaries of the immediate town/city. Routers, switches
and hubs are connected to create a metropolitan area
network.
[edit]Wide area network
Main article: Wide Area Network
A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network that
covers a broad area (i.e. any network whose
communications links cross metropolitan, regional, or
national boundaries [1]). Less formally, a WAN is a network
that uses routers and public communications links [1].
Contrast with personal area networks (PANs), local area
networks (LANs), campus area networks (CANs), or
metropolitan area networks (MANs), which are usually
limited to a room, building, campus or specific
metropolitan area (e.g., a city) respectively. The largest
and most well-known example of a WAN is the Internet. A
WAN is a data communications network that covers a
relatively broad geographic area (i.e. one city to another
and one country to another country) and that often uses
transmission facilities provided by common carriers, such
as telephone companies. WAN technologies generally
function at the lower three layers of the OSI reference
model: the physical layer, the data link layer, and
the network layer.
[edit]Global area network
Main article: IEEE 802.20

A global area networks (GAN) specification is in

development by several groups, and there is no common
definition. In general, however, a GAN is a model for
supporting mobile communications across an arbitrary
number of wireless LANs, satellite coverage areas, etc. The
key challenge in mobile communications is "handing off"
the user communications from one local coverage area to
the next. In IEEE Project 802, this involves a succession of
terrestrial WIRELESS local area networks (WLAN).[3]
[edit]Virtual private network
Main article: Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network
in which some of the links between nodes are carried by
open connections or virtual circuits in some larger network
(e.g., the Internet) instead of by physical wires. The linklayer protocols of the virtual network are said to be
tunneled through the larger network when this is the case.
One common application is secure communications
through the public Internet, but a VPN need not have
explicit security features, such as authentication or
content encryption. VPNs, for example, can be used to
separate the traffic of different user communities over an
underlying network with strong security features.
A VPN may have best-effort performance, or may have a
defined service level agreement (SLA) between the VPN
customer and the VPN service provider. Generally, a VPN
has a topology more complex than point-to-point.
A VPN allows computer users to appear to be editing from
an IP address location other than the one which connects
the actual computer to the Internet.
[edit]Internetwork
Main article: Internetwork

Internetworking involves connecting two or more

distinct computer networks or network segments via a
common routing technology. The result is called an
internetwork (often shortened to internet). Two or more
networks or network segments connected using devices
that operate at layer 3 (the 'network' layer) of the OSI
Basic Reference Model, such as a router. Any
interconnection among or between public, private,
commercial, industrial, or governmental networks may
also be defined as an internetwork.
In modern practice, the interconnected networks use the
Internet Protocol. There are at least three variants of
internetwork, depending on who administers and who
participates in them:

Intranet
Extranet
Internet

Intranets and extranets may or may not have connections

to the Internet. If connected to the Internet, the intranet or
extranet is normally protected from being accessed from
the Internet without proper authorization. The Internet is
not considered to be a part of the intranet or extranet,
although it may serve as a portal for access to portions of
an extranet.
[edit]Intranet
Main article: Intranet
An intranet is a set of networks, using the Internet
Protocol and IP-based tools such as web browsers and file
transfer applications, that is under the control of a single
administrative entity. That administrative entity closes the
intranet to all but specific, authorized users. Most
commonly, an intranet is the internal network of an
organization. A large intranet will typically have at least

one web server to provide users with organizational

information.
[edit]Extranet
Main article: Extranet
An extranet is a network or internetwork that is limited in
scope to a single organization or entity but which also has
limited connections to the networks of one or more other
usually, but not necessarily, trusted organizations or
entities (e.g., a company's customers may be given access
to some part of its intranet creating in this way an
extranet, while at the same time the customers may not
be considered 'trusted' from a security standpoint).
Technically, an extranet may also be categorized as a CAN,
MAN, WAN, or other type of network, although, by
definition, an extranet cannot consist of a single LAN; it
must have at least one connection with an external
network.
[edit]Internet
Main article: Internet
The Internet is a specific internetwork. It consists of a
worldwide interconnection of governmental, academic,
public, and private networks based upon the networking
technologies of theInternet Protocol Suite. It is the
successor of the Advanced Research Projects Agency
Network (ARPANET) developed by DARPA of the U.S.
Department of Defense. The Internet is also the
communications backbone underlying the World Wide
Web (WWW). The 'Internet' is most commonly spelled with
a capital 'I' as a proper noun, for historical reasons and to
distinguish it from other generic internetworks.
Participants in the Internet use a diverse array of methods
of several hundred documented, and often standardized,
protocols compatible with the Internet Protocol Suite and

an addressing system (IP Addresses) administered by

the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and address
registries. Service providers and large enterprises
exchange information about thereachability of their
address spaces through the Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP), forming a redundant worldwide mesh of
transmission paths.
[edit]Basic

hardware components

All networks are made up of basic hardware building

blocks to interconnect network nodes, such as Network
Interface Cards (NICs), Bridges, Hubs, Switches, and
Routers. In addition, some method of connecting these
building blocks is required, usually in the form of galvanic
cable (most commonly Category 5 cable). Less common
are microwave links (as in IEEE 802.12) or optical cable
("optical fiber"). An ethernet card may also be required.
[edit]Network interface
Main article: Network card

cards

A network card, network adapter or NIC (network

interface card) is a piece of computer hardware designed
to allow computers to communicate over a computer
network. It provides physical access to a networking
medium and often provides a low-level addressing system
through the use of MAC addresses.
[edit]Repeaters
Main article: Repeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives
a signal and retransmits it at a higher power level, or to
the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can
cover longer distances without degradation. In most
twisted pair Ethernet configurations, repeaters are
required for cable which runs longer than 100 meters.

[edit]Hubs
Main article: Network hub
A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at
one port, it is copied unmodified to all ports of the hub for
transmission. The destination address in the frame is not
changed to a broadcast address.[4]
[edit]Bridges
Main article: Network bridge
A network bridge connects multiple network
segments at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model.
Bridges do not promiscuously copy traffic to all ports, as
hubs do, but learn whichMAC addresses are reachable
through specific ports. Once the bridge associates a port
and an address, it will send traffic for that address only to
that port. Bridges do send broadcasts to all ports except
the one on which the broadcast was received.
Bridges learn the association of ports and addresses by
examining the source address of frames that it sees on
various ports. Once a frame arrives through a port, its
source address is stored and the bridge assumes that MAC
address is associated with that port. The first time that a
previously unknown destination address is seen, the
bridge will forward the frame to all ports other than the
one on which the frame arrived.
Bridges come in three basic types:
1. Local bridges: Directly connect local area networks
(LANs)
2. Remote bridges: Can be used to create a wide area
network (WAN) link between LANs. Remote bridges,
where the connecting link is slower than the end
networks, largely have been replaced by routers.

3. Wireless bridges: Can be used to join LANs or connect

remote stations to LANs.
[edit]Switches
Main article: Network switch
A switch is a device that forwards and filters OSI layer
2 datagrams (chunk of data communication) between
ports (connected cables) based on the MAC addresses in
the packets.[5] This is distinct from a hub in that it only
forwards the packets to the ports involved in the
communications rather than all ports connected. Strictly
speaking, a switch is not capable of routing traffic based
on IP address (OSI Layer 3) which is necessary for
communicating between network segments or within a
large or complex LAN. Some switches are capable of
routing based on IP addresses but are still called switches
as a marketing term. A switch normally has numerous
ports, with the intention being that most or all of the
network is connected directly to the switch, or another
switch that is in turn connected to a switch.[6]
Switch is a marketing term that encompasses routers and
bridges, as well as devices that may distribute traffic on
load or by application content (e.g., a Web URL identifier).
Switches may operate at one or more OSI model layers,
including physical, data link, network, or transport (i.e.,
end-to-end). A device that operates simultaneously at
more than one of these layers is called a multilayer switch.
Overemphasizing the ill-defined term "switch" often leads
to confusion when first trying to understand networking.
Many experienced network designers and operators
recommend starting with the logic of devices dealing with
only one protocol level, not all of which are covered by
OSI. Multilayer device selection is an advanced topic that
may lead to selecting particular implementations, but

multilayer switching is simply not a real-world design

concept.
[edit]Routers
Main article: Router
Routers are networking devices that forward data packets
between networks using headers and forwarding tables to
determine the best path to forward the packets. Routers
work at thenetwork layer.
[edit]